#我来唠家常#
▲ Xinjiang Ili Nalati Grassland, a world-famous subalpine meadow plant area. Photo by Wang Xinkang
-The Legend of the Gentleman of Things-
My family lives on the prairie
Wild Child - "Elechuan", authentic scenery, 5 minutes
The grassland, the skin of the earth.
As the largest inland ecosystem in the mainland, the grassland not only maintains the climate, but also serves as the living home of the children of the grassland.
Being in this green sea, you can even cross the "Qin and Bright Moon and Han Pass" and hear the vast echoes of ancient times. The excitement of the Naadam Conference, the low mystery of the Hoomai trombone, the far-reaching and long-lasting horse-head fiddle, and the sorrow of the camel song are intertwined into a whistling wind, sweeping the grass tips, and playing a story that belongs to the grassland.
▲ Bayinbrook Grassland, Xinjiang. Photo/Visual China
What shapes the grasslands?
"Eilechuan, under the Yin Mountain. The sky is like a dome, enveloping the four wilderness. The sky is blue, the wilderness is vast, and the wind blows the grass to see cattle and sheep. ”
China is a country with grassland resources, with nearly 400 million hectares of grassland, accounting for more than 40% of the country's total land area and three times the area of China's existing cultivated land. It can be said that more than two-fifths of China's land area lives on grasslands.
▲ China's grasslands are widely distributed. Broadly speaking, except for farmland and forests, all land covered by green vegetation belongs to the category of grassland. Cartography/F50BB
The grassland has a special beauty, combining the vastness of glaciers and snowfields and the softness of streams and streams. Looking up at the vast expanse shrouded in mountains and rivers, the breeze blowing, and it is another idyllic song full of cattle and sheep.
The beauty of the grassland is colorful, and the causes of the grassland are also different.
▲ The Karajun grassland in Xinjiang, the undulating lines are quite beautiful. Photo/Visual China
Most of the time, in China, the grassland is about equal to the Inner Mongolia grassland. This vast wilderness, nestled on the Inner Mongolia Plateau, is an important part of the Eurasian steppe.
The Inner Mongolia Plateau, starting from the Hulunbuir Plateau in the north, passing through the Xilin Gol Plateau, the Ulanqab Plateau and the Ordos Plateau, arriving at the western part of the Loess Plateau, is between 200-400 mm of precipitation, spanning the gradient of dry and wet environments, is a paradise for the growth of temperate grasslands, with a grassland landscape that stretches for 2,500 kilometers and is more than 600 kilometers wide, and is also one of the largest grassland areas in the world.
▲ The grasslands of Inner Mongolia spanning the east and west have diverse natural landscapes. Cartography/F50BB
Because the Inner Mongolia Plateau spans the east and west, the grasslands spread in the east and west also have their own styles.
The Hulunbuir grassland, where the climate is on the humid side and the rivers are intertwined, has a kind of beauty of combining rigidity and softness; the open and deep, vast and vast Xilin Gol grassland, where volcanic lava is highlighted from time to time, has a kind of vast and vast beauty; the Ulanqab grassland, which is backed by the Yin Mountains and has a lot of wind and sand, is full of flowers, and is the prairie with the most unique landform and the richest landscape; and the Ordos grassland, which is surrounded by the Yellow River, has a large area of desert and sand, and the interweaving of wind and sand outlines a majestic and wonderful scene outside the Saiwai.
▲ Hulunbuir grassland. Photo by Kwok Wai Chung
▲ The Hunshandak Sandy Land at the southern end of the Xilin Gol Grassland, the grassland and the desert are in the same frame. Photography / Peace
Different from the horizontal Inner Mongolia grassland, the grassland located in Xinjiang is a typical mountainous vertical grassland. Although Xinjiang is located in the desert hinterland of Central Asia, the Ili grassland developed in the intermountain basin of the Tianshan Mountains is surrounded by mountains in the south, north and east, and the western opening inherits the moist air flow from the west.
▲ On the north side of the windward Ili River Valley, precipitation is relatively abundant, and the mountain vegetation is more lush. Cartography/F50BB
▲ Due to the particularity of the topography of the Ili River Valley, the natural landscape zones on the north and south sides are very different. Cartography/F50BB
Although it is not as flat and vast as the Inner Mongolia Plateau, the Ili grassland, which is born on the mountain, is undulating and undulating, high and low, and the majestic and holy snow-capped mountains, the ancient and young spruce, the colorful and agile rape flowers, and the wooden houses and yurts of the Kazakh people, interweaving an inclusive and profound composite picture.
▲ The snow-capped mountains and flowers of the Ili Kalajun grassland in Xinjiang. Photo by Wan Rui
Just like the vertical inclusion of the Ili grassland, the western Sichuan alpine grassland located in Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan, and the Nagqu alpine grassland in Nagqu, Tibet, each have their own changes and magnificence, and are the "flowers of kaolin" blooming on the snow-capped mountains.
▲ The grassland scenery of western Sichuan with a dense river network. Photo by Xiong Ke
In addition, at the mouth of the Changhua River in the western part of Hainan Island, a narrow tropical desert belt has even appeared in the coastal area due to the foehn effect, which is the only area on the mainland where you can see the savannah.
▲ Nagqu Qiangtang grassland in Tibet. Photo by Extraterrestrial Meteors
How have grasslands shaped China?
No other natural landscape, like grasslands, has had such a profound impact on China.
Gao Honglei once mentioned in "The Other Half of Chinese History": "So far, what we call 'Chinese history' can only be regarded as half of China's history, and most of what historians have recorded is the rise and fall of the Central Plains Dynasty. ”
The other half of China's history, which has been "overlooked", has more than half of the stories shaped by nomads and played out in turns on the grasslands.
▲ Herds on the Hulunbuir grassland. Photo by Qiu Huining
Tenderness on the tip of the grass
If you pay a little attention when looking through the historical classics, it is not difficult for you to find that on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the northern edge of the Central Plains Dynasty, different nomads have been splendid for thousands of years with their vigorous vitality, which is an important piece of the puzzle that shapes China.
Similar to the Yellow River alluvial plain, it is the indiscriminate civilization of the Central Plains, which originated from the nomadic people of the grassland and lived on fertile water and grass. Grass is the lifeblood of nomadic life. Therefore, how to get along with the steppe is the first lesson of life for nomads.
▲ Kazakh herdsmen in the Ili Zhaosu steppe. Photo by Cheonggye
Most of the time, herders rarely have direct contact with the grassland, goats, sheep, cattle, horses, camels, these five types of livestock are the link between the grassland people and the earth.
In the understanding of many people, nomadic herding after water and grass seems to be a pasture that has been eaten up, and then looking for another pasture to graze. In fact, this is not the case with true nomadic migrations. The Mongolian people living in the steppe believe that when they are nomadic, they cannot stay in the same pasture for a maximum of 14 days.
▲ During the change of seasons, the herdsmen on the grasslands of the Qilian Mountains are migrating and changing. Photo by Xiao Nanbo
▲ The herdsmen of Chifeng Keshiketeng Banner are preparing to take the camel team to the field. Photo by Liu Gang
When cattle and sheep eat grass, usually a bite here, a bite there, if the pasture is sufficient, cattle and sheep basically only gnaw the tip of the grass, after the grass tip is eaten, it will stimulate the regeneration of grass, but grow better. In order to ensure the recuperation of the pastures and gain time for the growth of plants and trees, the people living on the grasslands can only migrate frequently.
It is no exaggeration to say that although the grasslands do not leave traces, there are figures of grassland peoples grazing everywhere. In addition to pastures, nomads are also very tender to the five animals of the grassland.
▲ Hulunbuir Hajixia camp set horse pole. Photography / Yu Yongle
▲ Herdsmen and lambs on the grassland of Damaying in Qilian Mountain. Photo by Fu Ding
In Chinese, "playing the qin to the cow" is a derogatory term, but on the grassland, communication with the five animals has never been uncommon. Among the nomadic Mongolians in the Gobi region, there is a song of persuasion "Lonely White Camel Lamb". This long-key folk song is played for the mourning she-camel.
In the hearts of the steppe peoples, "every shrub is a god, and every mountain rock is a holy khan", so they are particularly devout to nature. The blessing ceremony in spring, the colostrum sacrifice of female animals in early summer, the Naadam assembly and Ao Bao sacrifice in midsummer, and the "Durhan feast" in winter...... It is the most direct expression of the grassland people's feelings for the five animals and the grassland.
▲ Hulunbuir Grassland Winter Naadam Conference. Photo by Lu Wen
▲ Xilin Gol League's Dongwu Banner Sacrifice Ao Bao. Photo by Wang Jin
Conquer the world on horseback
With the drumbeat of the seasons, the life of continuous migration on the vast grassland not only shapes the free and straightforward character of the children of the grassland, but also creates their typical characteristics of being a soldier and being good at guerrilla.
From the brave and warlike Xiongnu, to the Xianbei who moved their capital to Luoyang and Sinicized on a large scale, from the Turks and Khitans who founded the Khanate regime, to the Mongols who founded the Mongol Empire, perhaps there is almost no obstacle to the way forward, and the steppe peoples living on horseback have always been indomitable and enterprising.
▲ The ethnic groups living on the grassland are brave and good at fighting, and many ethnic groups have achieved a generation of hegemony on the grassland. Cartography/F50BB
Under the guidance of this spirit, many nomadic tribes have established empires, expanding China's territory and increasing China's international popularity.
In the "Historical Records", Sima Qian called Zhang Qian's envoy to the Western Regions "hollowing". It is not difficult to see that this is a definition from the perspective of the Central Plains Dynasty. For the grassland tribes who "stomped on the yurts, lele carts, and stirrups in all directions", long before Zhang Qian's "hollowing out", the nomadic tribes had already communicated and collided with people in East Asia, South Asia, West Asia and other places in this mysterious "desert".
▲ Herdsmen building yurts near the Ili Chaxi steppe valley. Photo by Lai Yuning
▲ Nalati grassland, a yurt under the snow-capped mountains. Photo by Wan Rui
Even before the opening of the Desert Silk Road, a steppe Silk Road connecting Eurasia was formed. During the Tang Dynasty, the nomadic tribes of the Mobei grassland were attached to the Tang Dynasty under the leadership of the Hui Hui, visited Tang Taizong as the "Heavenly Khan", and opened up a "Heavenly Khan Road" for him, laying the foundation for the comprehensive prosperity of the grassland Silk Road during the Liao period.
▲ Xinjiang Sandao Haizi Ruins, located at the southern foot of the Altai Mountains, was historically a key point on the "Grassland Silk Road" through Europe and Asia. Photography / Backpacker Moon, Picture / Picture Worm Creative
During the Liao Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, it was the most prosperous period for the northern grassland peoples. At that time, the Liao Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty relied on the Grassland Silk Road for most of their exchanges with Europe and Asia. The envoys and merchants of Western countries and the Central Plains Dynasty were concentrated here, and Liaoshangjing, Zhongjing, and Yuanshangdu became the international metropolis at that time.
▲ Xilin Gol grassland Yuan Shangdu ruins. Photography / Peace
Because of the spread of Liao culture and its influence on world history, Central Asian and even European countries often call China "Khitan", and the "China" in Russian is transliterated as Khitan.
It is worth mentioning that during the Yuan Dynasty, which was founded by the Mongols, China's territory was unprecedentedly large, about 13 million square kilometers, which was difficult for the Han and Tang dynasties to match.
▲ In the hinterland of the Horqin grassland, giant statues of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan were built on the top of Huolin Gol Khan. Photo by Qiu Huining
How much do you know about the Prairie Element?
Looking back on the development of the steppe peoples, it always gives a sense of mysterious epicness.
In fact, the grassland nomads and the farming civilization of the Central Plains have been intertwined and integrated for thousands of years, and many grassland elements have long "sneaked" into all aspects of the Central Plains culture.
▲ Ulan Butong Grassland Red Mountain Military Horse Farm. Photo by Chen Gang
When your blood is boiling, you may sing a sentence "Yellow sand wears gold armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be returned if it is not broken". When you are depressed and depressed, you may think of "the pipa dances with a new sound, and it is always the old love of the mountain". These poems, whether passionate or sad, have a common genre - Biansai poems.
And the so-called border plug includes the vast northern grasslands. Perhaps for the people of Biansai, the confrontation between the two civilizations has brought misfortune to life, but this misfortune is the outlet of literature.
▲ The grassland on the dam is densely populated with sheep. Photo by Hu Zihui
The grassland aesthetic also influenced the development of Chinese cave art. The Yungang Grottoes built by the Xianbei people, the Buddha statue is tall and majestic, and there is a kind of majestic beauty unique to the grassland people. The five Tanyao caves built in Yungang in the early days all adopted a horseshoe-shaped plane and a high dome-shaped roof, which is quite similar to the living rooms of the early Xianbei nomads in the grassland.
Even after the Xianbei regime, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, when building the Longmen Grottoes, although it incorporated the delicate and delicate aesthetics of the Central Plains, it also did not lose the elegant and bold grassland style.
The integration of grassland civilization and Central Plains civilization is not only reflected in culture and art, but also common in daily life.
Swipe left
▲ From left to right: Chifeng Keqi, the non-genetic inheritor of making milk tofu. Photography / Liu Gang, Xilin Gol Xiwuqi, Mongolian wedding bride. Photography / Gu Qun, Xilin Gol Xiwu Banner of the grassland Bok. Photo by Demingson
Although after entering the Central Plains, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty had implemented the reform of clothing and ordered the Xianbei people to wear Hanfu, but the miraculous thing is that the tight-fitting, short, and crotch-tight Xianbei clothes have been promoted among the Han people because they are more suitable for the needs of production and life. Today's most everyday trousers, riding boots and other clothing are all evolved from the traditional costumes of the grassland people.
In addition, the promotion of grassland diet has also enriched the dining table of Chinese. The rich and diverse dairy products, the proud beef jerky in the meat, and the fresh, salty, fragrant and replenishing mutton shabu are the gourmet feasts that many gourmets can't give up.
Swipe left
▲ From left to right: Mongolian dairy products, roasted whole sheep, shabu shabu and roasted buns. Fig. 1 Photography/Non-368, Picture/Picture Worm Creative, Picture 2 Photography/Shushan Panda, Picture/Picture Worm Creative, Picture 3 Photography/Hu Yongliang
Prairie, a true paradise
Shan Zhiqiang once wrote in "The Unspeakable is the Prairie": "The Prairie has nothing to do with romance, and behind the Prairie is hardship. ”
The grassland, the grass grows and the warbler flies, and the vastness is boundless, and people will always add a layer of romantic filter to it. However, the grassland is the most vulnerable land resource. According to expert research, one of the best grasslands in the mainland, the Hulunbuir grassland, is one meter underground is flowing sand. Once the grasslands are desertified, recovery is particularly difficult.
▲ Snow mountains, deserts, and grasslands unfold in turn, which is a typical landscape in the arid region of Northwest China. Photo by Sun Zhijun
"Living by water and grass" is a way of life for the grassland people for thousands of years, which seems to be backward and primitive, but it is an effective protection of the extremely fragile grassland ecology and resources.
▲ Horqin grassland in eastern Inner Mongolia, the birthplace of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Photo by Wang Jin
No one can conquer the steppe. Even Genghis Khan, who conquered half the world, never conquered the steppe. During the reign of Genghis Khan, he also promulgated the most severe regulations for the protection of the grassland: "If the grassland is damaged by digging a pit after the grass is green, or if the grassland is burned due to fire, the whole family shall be sentenced to death." "Reverence for the grassland mother and care for the grassland ecological structure may be the innate instinct of every grassland child.
The grassland, beautiful and fragile, the anxiety brought by this strong contrast once made the Mongolian poet Xi Murong sigh: "Please give me the Mongolian horse-head qin song and the Mongolian patriarch's tune." ”
▲ Inner Mongolia Ulanqab Huiteng Xile Grassland Wind Farm is the largest wind farm in Asia, and grassland wind energy is a way to protect grassland resources. Photo by Lu Wen
Ecological deterioration and the shrinking area of the grassland are taking place, and can there be a new outlet for the anxiety of the children of the grassland? This is not only a topic for the children of the grassland, but also a question that everyone needs to face.
After all, the grassland is the closest to heaven in your and my hearts.